ISO IEC 14496-3-2019 PDF

Full title and description

Information technology — Coding of audio-visual objects — Part 3: Audio (ISO/IEC 14496-3:2019). This part of the ISO/IEC 14496 series (MPEG‑4 Audio) specifies audio coding tools, object types, profiles and bitstream formats to support a wide range of audio applications from low‑bitrate streaming to high‑quality and immersive/object‑based audio.

Abstract

This document integrates many different types of audio coding: natural sound with synthetic sound, low‑bitrate delivery with high‑quality delivery, speech with music, complex soundtracks with simple ones, and traditional content with interactive and virtual‑reality content. It standardizes individually sophisticated coding tools and provides a flexible framework for audio synchronization, mixing, and downloaded post‑production applicable across many applications.

General information

• Status: Published / Current (Edition 5 consolidated standard).
• Publication date: December 2019 (effective/publication entries: Dec 2019; often listed as 12 December 2019).
• Publisher: ISO/IEC (joint publication by ISO and IEC; work undertaken by ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29 WG11 — MPEG).
• ICS / categories: 35.040.40 (Coding of audio, video, multimedia and hypermedia information).
• Edition / version: Edition 5 (ISO/IEC 14496-3:2019).
• Number of pages: Approx. 1,443 pages (PDF/official publication page lists ~1443 pages; publisher counts may vary by format).

Key registry and publication metadata (edition, ICS, status and page count) are recorded on the ISO publication entry and national catalogues.

Scope

Specifies the audio coding framework and tools for MPEG‑4 audio: definition of audio object types and profiles, coding tools for natural and synthetic audio, scalable and parametric coding (e.g., SBR/HE‑AAC techniques), unified speech and audio coding (USAC), lossless options (ALS), scalable codecs (BSAC), metadata for synchronization and mixing, and support for object‑based and immersive audio workflows across delivery and storage formats. The part applies across a wide range of applications rather than targeting a single use case.

Key topics and requirements

• Definition of audio object types, profiles and levels to identify codec and tool support.
• Specification of AAC family features and extensions (AAC LC, AAC SBR/HE‑AAC, Parametric Stereo where applicable).
• Support for Unified Speech and Audio Coding (USAC) for efficient coding across speech and music.
• Support for ALS (Audio Lossless Coding) and other high‑quality/lossless modes.
• Scalable and bit‑stream slicing techniques (e.g., BSAC and related tools).
• Metadata and signalling for synchronization, object metadata, interactive mixing and immersive/3‑D audio arrangements.
• Bitstream formats and conformance requirements to ensure interoperability across decoders and transport/container formats.

These topics reflect the consolidated toolset and profiles in the 2019 edition.

Typical use and users

Primary users include codec implementers, semiconductor and SoC designers, streaming and broadcast service engineers, multimedia software developers, content production houses working with immersive or object‑based audio, standards bodies and test laboratories, and companies implementing MP4/ISO Base Media File Format and other container/transport systems that carry MPEG‑4 Audio.

Related standards

Part of the ISO/IEC 14496 (MPEG‑4) series: related parts include Part 1 (Systems), Part 2 (Visual), Part 12/Part 14 (ISO Base Media File Format / MP4 file format), and other subparts and amendments to Part 3 that were consolidated into the 2019 edition. Amendments, corrigenda and further work (e.g., an amendment on media authenticity/immersive interchange) are tracked by ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29 (MPEG).

Keywords

MPEG‑4 Audio, ISO/IEC 14496‑3, AAC, HE‑AAC, SBR, USAC, ALS, BSAC, MPEG Surround, audio object types, object‑based audio, synchronization, bitstream, profiles, immersive audio.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO/IEC 14496‑3:2019 is Part 3 of the MPEG‑4 family and defines the audio coding framework, object types, profiles and bitstream formats for MPEG‑4 Audio (Edition 5, published December 2019).

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers a wide range of audio coding techniques (natural and synthetic audio), profiles and toolsets (AAC family, HE‑AAC/SBR, USAC, ALS, BSAC, MPEG Surround and related metadata and signaling) and provides interoperability rules for decoding, metadata and synchronization across applications.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Codec and player developers, chipset/SoC manufacturers, streaming and broadcast engineers, multimedia software vendors, content producers, test laboratories and other stakeholders implementing or delivering MPEG‑4 audio content.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The 2019 edition (Edition 5) supersedes the 2009 edition and the accumulated amendments and corrigenda up to 2018; it is the consolidated, current edition published in December 2019. Subsequent amendments may be published or under development; users should check the official ISO status for any DAmd or corrigendum updates.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — ISO/IEC 14496 is a multipart standard (MPEG‑4). Part 3 is the audio part and is intended to work with other parts (systems, visual, file formats, conformance, etc.).

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: MPEG‑4 Audio, AAC, HE‑AAC, USAC, ALS, BSAC, SBR, object‑based audio, profiles, audio object types, synchronization, bitstream.